Melissa Reddy axed by Sky Sports, breaks silence on 'abuse'
South African journalist Melissa Reddy has confirmed her departure from Sky Sports, revealing plans to return to book writing after a three-year tenure as a senior reporter at the UK-based broadcaster.
Reddy, known for her in-depth Premier League coverage – particularly focused on Manchester United and Liverpool – was part of a wave of staff exits announced this week, which also included veteran presenter Rob Wotton, following the cancellation of The Football Show .
Other well-known names leaving Sky include presenters Teddy Draper and Jasper Taylor, as well as long-serving reporter Jeremy Langdon, senior reporter Fadumo Okow, and a news editor.
Taking to Instagram, Reddy confirmed her exit while teasing a new professional chapter.
'Eleventh season of Premier League coverage done and I've called time on three years at Sky,' she wrote.
'I'll still be doing bits and bobs for them. But I'm genuinely sooo excited to share all the things I'll be working on soon… YES – that will include new books.' View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Melissa Reddy (@melissa_reddy)
Reddy, who made a name for herself through bold reporting and breaking exclusives, added that she's looking forward to focusing on her 'strengths and passions', with writing clearly among them.
Melissa Reddy also used her statement to address the racism and sexism she has faced throughout her career.
'After the first press conference I covered in England, a journalist turned to the press officer and said: 'Why are you letting them come over here and take our jobs. You just want a little lick, don't you?!''
Despite the abuse, Reddy affirmed her resilience.
'I will always be stronger than the hate; I know who I am, I know the substance of my work… You can't dim the light of someone who learned how to shine in the dark.'
Her message resonated across the industry, drawing support from colleagues including Formula One presenter Natalie Pike, who said, 'Thank you for always shining a light for the women in our industry.' Football commentator Pien Meulensteen and presenter Reshmin Chowdhury also expressed admiration and support.
As one of the most recognisable female sports reporters of colour in the UK, Melissa Reddy's departure is seen as a significant shift in Sky Sports' newsroom.
However, her move marks not a retreat, but a pivot to new creative ventures – with her audience eagerly awaiting the next chapter.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
18 minutes ago
- Daily Maverick
Dominance of a few teams and glaring inequality put the boot into soccer around the world
It's not a good thing that only a handful of teams, often the richest ones, are winning the major leagues throughout the soccer-playing world. Club soccer is a genuinely uncompetitive sport across the globe. Almost everywhere, the richest clubs are getting stronger and the poorer ones are increasingly marginalised. In England, Liverpool have broken Manchester City's record-breaking four-season monopoly of the Premier League, but the Reds are scarcely disruptors – the two clubs have now shared the past eight titles between them. London's The Times recently did a Gini coefficient calculation which demonstrated that the Premier League had become relentlessly less equal since 1990. Here at home in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) it's the same, only worse. Mamelodi Sundowns have cruised to their eighth consecutive crown, once again without breaking a sweat or generating any great excitement from anyone except the residents of Atteridgeville in Pretoria. Most of Europe's big leagues all have serious problems in this regard – Bayern Munich have taken 12 of the past 13 Bundesliga titles, and PSG 11 out of the past 13 French titles. Spain is a Barca-Real duopoly with very occasional Atletico Madrid interludes; only twice since the founding of the Portuguese league in 1934 has anyone other than the triopoly of Benfica, Sporting and Porto taken the title; ditto the Netherlands, where Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord utterly dominate. Italy's Serie A is a standout at the moment, with Napoli disrupting the grip held by Juventus and Inter Milan. Still, between them, these two have won 16 out of the last 20 Scudettos. And in the undergrowth it's even worse – Celtic won 12 out of 14 titles in Scotland and it's been 40 years since anyone other than Celtic or Rangers won it; Ludogorets Razgrad have won 14 straight in Bulgaria; Qarabag 10 of 11 in Azerbaijan – and there are more examples from Moldova, Belarus, Greece and elsewhere. It wasn't always like this. My formative football years were the Sixties and Seventies when 13 different teams – including Derby Country, Burnley, Notts Forest and Spurs – were English league champions in 20 years. The likes of Bologna, Fiorentina, Cagliari and Lazio won Serie A, and Borussia Mönchengladbach, Stuttgart, Köln and Hamburg all triumphed in Germany. Our PSL, when it was founded in 1994, had five different champions in its first five years (who now even remembers Manning Rangers, the inaugural winners under Gordon Igesund?) The problem is obvious: money. Owners, especially sovereign wealth funds and Patrice Motsepe-like billionaires, are often unconstrained by genuine soccer economics and pile cash into their pet projects, and then reap even more financial rewards in terms of television rights, sponsorships and prize money. A topical example is Sundowns, who reportedly will bank a minimum of R170-million from Gianni Infantino's vainglorious 32-team Fifa World Club Cup in the US in July. The rest of the PSL gets zilch. Hoarding talent The divide then deepens with the hoarding of overpaid reserve talent. Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger famously described this as 'financial doping'. And, should the relatively benign financial regulations ever produce any sanctions from a league, highly paid pack-dog lawyers are let loose by the offending club to challenge the rulings on the 'oh so ironic' grounds that the authorities are being anticompetitive. (Manchester City are the prime example.) The outlier in all this numbing, repetitive supremacy is the US, where Major League Soccer has produced seven different winners in the past eight years. And this is not by accident. All major North American pro sports are deliberately rigged against dominance. They don't do league titles in the traditional sense – everyone playing each other home and away. They have regional conferences with unbalanced schedules which produce line-ups for a series of playoffs that, in effect, allow lower-ranked teams a knockout shot at glory. And there is no relegation, which ensures a secure base for investment in every franchise. For such an overtly capitalist economy, US sports have surprisingly sheltered workshop or socialist structures. Tight salary caps, equal spreads of revenue and the worst teams getting the best new players in drafts are all used to level the playing fields. The various regulations are complex and full of wrinkles and workarounds – manna for lawyers – but they undeniably are effective in terms of diverse winners at the moment. In basketball, by the end of the current finals series, six different teams will have won the past six NBA championships. In Major League Baseball, the World Series has produced nine different winners in 11 years. Ice hockey's Stanley Cup has had seven different winners in eight years, and the National Football League's Superbowl has had 12 different winners in 16 years. US threat? Not that I am championing this system for global soccer. I don't like the playoff concept. And relegation or promotion is a key spice of soccer life. A straight-up tier of leagues is the best measure of the best. But beware – 10 out of 20 clubs in the English Premier League have majority American owners now. If they align, they can shape the league as they see fit and none of them likes the idea of their massive investments being relegated into a year of fixtures against Preston North End or Hull. They will want security and guaranteed showcase fixtures (such as playoffs, an expanded Champions League or a Super League). In light of this, soccer needs to keep its traditional structure but double down on its fiscal checks and balances, and spread the jam better. And, a personal peeve, ban the loaning of players. If they're on your overloaded books, use them or lose them. The good news is that there are some encouraging signs, like profligate Man City going empty handed while Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Spurs all won long-awaited trophies. And Chelsea's billions are producing next to nothing. Elsewhere, Pirates and Chiefs elbowed Sundowns out of the two major local cups, Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup last weekend and Stuttgart took Germany's equivalent by beating a plucky third-division side. There is some hope that the days of dull dominance are coming to an end. DM
The South African
24 minutes ago
- The South African
Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen get married in intimate ceremony
Hollywood actress Hailee Steinfeld and NFL star quarterback Josh Allen are geared up and said 'I do'. This was after a joyful wedding rehearsal in California on 30 May. The couple, who got engaged in November 2024, looked radiant and full of excitement as they practised for their upcoming nuptials. The rehearsal took place at a stunning Californian estate, where Hailee, 28, dazzled in a chic white mini dress. Josh, 29, complemented her in a sharp tan suit. The Buffalo Bills quarterback even held a white umbrella to shield them both from the sun, according to People Fans first caught wind of their romance in May 2023, and the couple officially announced their engagement last November. Josh proposed at sunset in Malibu, a place Hailee calls her 'happy place.' The proposal was nothing short of magical, with a rose-covered arch and dozens of flickering candles setting the scene. Hailee shared with Who What Wear , 'It was a total surprise. I'm so grateful he did it the way he did. We have these photos to cherish forever, and I'm not thinking, 'What was I wearing?'' Josh's coach, Sean McDermott, recently commented on the quarterback's calm demeanour ahead of the wedding. Speaking to the Associated Press after the Buffalo Bills' voluntary practice on 27 May, McDermott said, 'Josh is as confident and as calm, cool and collected as he always is.' When asked about the wedding date, the coach playfully dodged the question. Interestingly, Josh's teammate Dion Dawkins accidentally revealed the wedding date as 31 May during an interview earlier this year. Despite the couple's efforts to keep details private, excitement had been building until the big day. Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen sealed their love with a stunning wedding ceremony on 31 May 2025 at a scenic estate in California. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
Luis Enrique's starlets finally deliver elusive Champions League success for PSG
On Saturday, 31 May, Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Inter Milan in one of the most one-sided finals in history, thereby completing a historic treble. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have finally arrived. That is the message France's best club sent to the world with an emphatic 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the European Champions League final in Munich. PSG's youthful team ran riot against Inter's stalwarts, with teenage attacker Désiré Doué playing a starring role as he scored a brace. On 63 minutes, when Doué scored his second goal (PSG's third), he nailed shell-shocked Inter's coffin shut. If the final had been a boxing match, this is when the referee would have intervened and halted the contest. Instead, with this being a soccer match, PSG continued pummelling the Italians. By the time referee István Kovács blew his whistle just after 90 minutes, Inter were bruised, battered and embarrassed. Statement win The Parisians' remarkable victory is the biggest winning margin in a Champions League final. No team had won a Champions final by more than four goals before Inter were massacred in Munich. This is what the Paris-based club has longed for since 2011, when Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) seized control of the side. 'Our aim is to make the club an institution respected around the world. If we are going to make that happen, we have to win the Champions League… Any team that wins it is seen differently by everyone else,' PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said a few years ago. The club marginally survived relegation just three years before QSI took over. More than a decade and billions of euros later, this coveted title has been delivered, in just PSG's second Champions League final. Player of the match Doué – who also laid on Achraf Hakimi's opening goal – was speechless after his peerless performance. 'I have no words. That was just incredible for me, simply incredible,' the 19-year-old said. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had a day off in the final owing to Inter's toothless attack, but the shot stopper played a pivotal part in his team navigating the knockout stage in particular. 'We were almost out a few times during the season. Then we managed to progress and completed an extraordinary season. Our coach gave us freedom and kept us calm. This is his philosophy. He prepared the final in the best possible way, and we saw that,' Donnarumma raved. Excellent Enrique Luis Enrique does not always receive the plaudits he deserves as a manager. With the victory in Milan he joined an exclusive club — he and compatriot Pep Guardiola are the only coaches in European men's soccer to win two continental trebles. PSG came into the decider having already clinched the French league title, as well as securing the Cup. They added the pièce de résistance in dominant fashion. Guardiola guided Manchester City to their first Champions League success in similar style and authority in 2023 – adding to the treble he won with Barcelona in 2009. Enrique also completed his first treble with Barcelona, in 2015. Now he has added a second a decade later. This boosts the Spaniard's résumé significantly. 'I tried to keep the pressure down for a club that had never won the competition. Inter are a great side, but we were fantastic in our pressing. Every player improved this season and so did the team,' Enrique said. 'We prepared very well for this game to be at that level. The team was excellent; we pressed with high intensity. Ousmane Dembélé pressured their defenders and goalkeepers constantly,' the former midfielder continued. 'Since day one, I said I wanted to win important trophies and Paris had never won the Champions League. We did it for the first time. It's a great feeling to make many people happy.' Crushed Inter Juxtaposing PSG's unbridled elation is Inter's agony. The Milan club ended the season without a single major trophy. Bitter rivals Milan dumped them out of the Italian Cup semifinals, while Napoli pipped them to the league title by a single point. Therefore, the Champions League was the last hope for Simone Inzaghi's side to salvage their season. Then PSG ruthlessly snuffed it out. 'Paris deserved to win this game and the trophy. We're disappointed, but the path to this point was great. As a coach, I am proud of my players. The game, of course, wasn't good enough on our part. We're disappointed, sad. The players gave their all,' Inzaghi stated. While Inter lick their wounds, PSG have made a statement. Perennially peerless in France, they have finally arrived on the big stage. With the young and famished team at Enrique's disposal, it feels as though the French outfit can finally transfer their domestic dominance to the continental stage. New breed PSG's young team achieved what the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé could not do in their colours as they became only the second French side to win the trophy after Olympique de Marseille in 1993. 'Making history was a goal from the start of last season,' Enrique said. 'I really felt a connection with the players and the fans, a very strong connection that we saw throughout the season. We were able to handle the tension and excitement in the best possible way.' PSG put on a masterclass which the more experienced Inter team had no answer to, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes through former Inter defender Achraf Hakimi and Doué. Doué was on target again in the 63rd minute, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored 10 minutes later and substitute Senny Mayulu netted three minutes from time to complete the rout in Munich. Before kick-off the Italian fans sang 'There's Only Inter', the club's anthem, but on the pitch their side went missing and PSG ran riot to secure a richly deserved win. PSG bossed the game from the start, maintaining possession with slick passing, every player constantly searching for an opening, which they found in the 12th minute when Vitinha played a pass to Doué in the box. Inter defenders appealed for offside but Federico Dimarco played the PSG man onside and the youngster kept his cool to roll the ball across goal and hand Hakimi the simplest of tap-ins. 'We have made history, we have written our names in the history of this club,' Hakimi said. 'For a long time this club deserved it, we are very happy. We have created a great family.' The second came eight minutes later from a quick PSG counter which found Ousmane Dembele on the left wing. Dembele drove forward before floating the ball to the far side and Doué had time to control the ball on his chest and his shot took a deflection off Dimarco to beat the wrong-footed Yann Sommer. Game over Inter had to try to attack in the second half but PSG killed off the game with a third goal when Vitinha slid the ball through to Doué in the area and the 19-year-old coolly slipped the ball past Sommer. Inter were shell-shocked, but things only got worse. Dembele's defence-splitting pass from his own half sent Kvaratskhelia haring away before he beat Sommer at his near post, a goal that brought the PSG bench, including Enrqiue, onto the pitch. 'He is the man who has changed everything at PSG. Since he came here, he has changed the way football is seen. He is a loyal man, he deserves it more than anyone else,' Hakimi said of Enrique. PSG still had time for a fifth as Mayulu fired past Sommer from close range after a pass from substitute Bradley Barcola, and the final whistle was greeted with huge roars from the French fans who had been singing loudly throughout the game. Inter had high hopes of making up for their defeat two years ago by Manchester City in Istanbul, but finished the season trophy-less. 'It absolutely didn't feel like my Inter out there, and the players are the first to know it, but I'm proud of the journey we've taken,' Inzaghi said. Enrique, visibly emotional after the final whistle and wearing a T-shirt with a tribute to his daughter Xana, who died in 2019, has turned PSG from a side of superstars into a group of humble players finally playing as a team. DM
